What Is Pitcher’s Elbow?
Pitcher’s elbow, also known as medial epicondyle apophysitis, is a common injury among baseball players. If you have obtained this injury, contact sports medicine doctor Upper Saddle River. It’s often caused by overuse and repetitive motion, leaving these athletes with pain and swelling inside the elbow. This pain usually limits the player’s range of motion and can limit or prevent the ability to throw. It most frequently occurs in baseball but is associated with other sports that involve throwing as well. For a sports medicine doctor Upper Saddle River, New York Sports Institute can work on diagnosing and treating pitcher’s elbow in athletes.
What is Pitcher’s Elbow?
This injury involves the two bones located in the forearm, the ulna and the radius, and the upper arm bone, the humerus. These form the elbow joints. There are muscles, nerves, tendons, and ligaments that allow elbow joints to bend, strengthen, and rotate.
Pitcher’s elbow occurs when repetitive throwing puts an excessive strain the tendons and ligaments in the elbow. These strong movements may cause the ligaments and tendons to stretch, tear, or pull away from the bone. Bone can also be torn away in the process, interfering with bone growth and causing deformity.
What Causes Pitcher’s Elbow?
Pitcher’s elbow is a fairly common condition among baseball pitchers. It involves pain along the inside part of the elbow during or after throwing motions.
The injury is commonly caused by repetitive motion and stress at the elbow. This results in the pulling and stretching of tendons and ligaments in the inner elbow. The forceful and repetitive throwing overhand may cause inflammation of the growth plate inside the throwing elbow.
Younger baseball players are most likely to experience this injury due to the fact that their elbow structure is not fully mature or developed yet. The bones, growth plates, and ligaments in the arms and elbow still have growing to do.
Age also affects the possibility of developing a pitcher’s elbow. Particularly those between the ages of 9 and 14 years are at a greater risk of the injury. Their elbow joints are not fully developed and with less mature bones, loose ligaments, and undeveloped muscles, they are more susceptible to these types of injuries.
Overuse of the arm and pitching too much may lead to pitcher’s elbow. There are certain pitch counts and months out of the year that pitchers should not exceed using their arms for throwing. Additionally, improper mechanics can put unnecessary force on the elbow joint which may lead to pitcher’s elbow. Proper throwing mechanics can help young players stay safe while pitching and use their arms and elbows in the right way.
Symptoms of Pitcher’s Elbow
There are several symptoms that are common among baseball players that indicate they may have sustained a pitcher’s elbow.
- Pain in the inside part of the elbow
- Tenderness
- Swelling
- Restricted range of motion
- Locked elbow joint
Pitcher’s elbow often occurs gradually, but in severe cases may occur suddenly with a pop or a tearing sensation.
Treatment for Pitcher’s Elbow: Sports Medicine Doctor Upper Saddle River
The immediate treatment for elbow pain is rest. When the elbow needs to recover from inflammation and injury, the best treatment is rest to allow it to recover. Your sports medicine doctor Upper Saddle River might also recommend using ice to reduce swelling.
In more severe cases, there are other treatment options that may be necessary for the recovery process for an athlete.
- Physical therapy. Assisted help from a physical therapist may be used to help restore and improve mobility and strength throughout the muscles and joints required for pitching and throwing.
- Throwing analysis. Improper mechanics and repetitively doing them can lead to pain, even after being treated. A trainer or physical therapist can use simulation and video analysis to detect throwing motion abnormalities and recommend how to improve your technique and performance.
- Surgery. In severe cases, a sports medicine doctor Upper Saddle River may recommend surgery for pitcher’s elbow. The most common surgery used to correct pitcher’s elbow is known as Tommy John Surgery. If this surgery is undergone, physical therapy will likely be recommended as a follow-up to help regain mobility and strength.
Sports Medicine Doctor in Upper Saddle River- Sports Medicine Doctor Upper Saddle River
Recovering from sports injuries requires proper diagnoses and treatments. That’s why athletes trust New York Sports Medicine Institute. Especially for younger players, who are more susceptible to injuries like pitcher’s elbow, it is important to properly heal injuries at a young age to be able to play into adulthood. Contact us today to request an appointment and start your recovery process.